We recently spoke to Buffalo Bills expert Connor Price about Reggie Ragland’s availability, expectations and what he thinks of the Mahomes deal now.
Just a few days ago, the Kansas City Chiefs brought in linebacker Reggie Ragland in a surprise deal from the Buffalo Bills, a buy-low move that allows the Chiefs to see if Ragland can thrive in a change of scenery just one year after the Bills selected him in the second round. Given the leadership change in Buffalo, Ragland was deemed expendable despite his youth, as he failed to yet gain back the “burst” he had before tearing his ACL last year.
We recently caught up with Connor Price, expert from Buffalowdown, to tell us why the Bills gave up so quickly, what he thinks of the trade return and some reflections on the Patrick Mahomes deal a few months later.
Giving up one year into the career of a second round pick—and given that single year was an injury—seems unwise. It’s easy to shrug off a poor scheme fit, but this seems drastic. Do you agree or is it not that big of a loss?
Ragland has a ton of potential considering he has never played in the NFL before. No one knows what he can do in a real NFL game scenario, but clearly the Bills aren’t confident. With the massive overhaul of players so far in the Beane/McDermott era, it is not surprising that they cut their losses so quickly on Ragland. They took the best they could get for him at this point in time, which was a lot for a linebacker that was playing third team defense.
Do you think Ragland would have made the Bills final roster?
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I think he would’ve made the final roster. You don’t cut a guy who is a former second round pick who is still so young—except for Roberto Aguayo. Ragland has never even played in an NFL game. Would he have played? I do not believe so.
McDermott seems like he’s been throwing Ragland under the bus, questioning his burst in a press conference, etc. Did the new regime just not like him at all?
It seems that way. He was supposed to challenge Preston Brown for the first team linebacker spot, but that transformed into battling Gerald Hodges for the number 2 spot. Once he lost that battle, it was clear that management was frustrated with him. It may not have been smart to trade him so early, but a fourth round pick isn’t bad at all.
From the Bills perspective, what is your take on the Ragland deal and the return received?
They are clearly confident in their LB corps for the future. They didn’t feel like they needed to develop Ragland, or maybe they felt that they couldn’t. You can’t wait around on a player forever in the NFL, so if he doesn’t work out then he doesn’t work out.
What should Chiefs fans expect to see from Ragland in 2017?
I wouldn’t expect to see much. The Chiefs have a fantastic defense with an even better LB corps. The veteran leadership at the position will have a major impact on Ragland for the future, but that will take time. The season is just around the corner, and I hope Ragland doesn’t get lost in the shuffle with the new playbook, and new scenery around him.
Going back a bit, now that the preseason dust, at least, has settled on the Patrick Mahomes deal, how are Bills fans feeling about that one?
Bills fans are still happy about that Mahomes trade because of the fact it sets us up well for next year. At the time, it didn’t sound so great because everyone was excited to grab a big-name player at the draft, but you have to step back and analyze deeper than that. The Bills will know if they have something this season pretty quickly. By week 6 they should know how the season will turn out. At that point, they can either tank for next year or push for a playoff spot. It will most likely be the former. Having multiple first rounders next year sets the Bills up to move up in the draft and get their guy if need be.